The Derry Girls series enjoyed unprecedented success in Ireland and Northern Ireland following its broadcast on Channel 4 and Netflix. So much so that a mural has been painted in 2019 in the city of Derry (or Londonderry) to pay tribute to the show!
But the current pandemic situation has profoundly transformed the painting in Derry city center. A collective of local artists known as UV Arts has modified the details of the wall, so that the Derry Girls characters now all wear FFP2 masks.
It’s an idea that has caused a sensation across the island of Ireland… and even created a buzz in the rest of the world.
A group of committed artists, determined to raise awareness of the dangers of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, decided to take over the existing mural and update it…
The original wall before the masks were added – Channel 4 (Twitter)
The brushstroke was masterful, and the result is simply brilliant: from now on, the 5 characters in the series will wear medical masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus. As if they’d always been wearing them!
It’s a nod to the need to encourage Northern Irish people to comply with the containment measures in place, to wear masks, and to adopt barrier gestures and social distancing measures.
This change to the fresco was well received by the public. Many praised the artists’ collective and the city of Derry, “capable of reinventing itself every day and adapting ever more to current situations”.
As for fans of the series, it gave them something to smile about… as they await the forthcoming release of Derry Girls season 3.
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